The Greatest Bond
by Nature9000
Summary: When Freddie suddenly cancels his plans with Jonah and Sam, Valerie helps them to understand just why, and who or what would be more important. When they learn the truth, it seems to inspire a chain of events.


Greatest Bond

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly

A/N: This came to me the other day while out driving to meet my dad at the park. I hope you'll enjoy it.

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-ONE GREATER THAN ALL OTHERS-

Freddie had a number of plans this week. He was going to go take his girl out on a date, he was going to shoot pool with his best friend, he would help Carly with something for her newest webshow she'd created a year ago. But something happened to make him cancel every plan he had for the week, nobody knew what was going on with him either, as he never really told anyone much about his personal life.

"I can't believe he cancelled our date like that," Sam said as she sat next to Jonah and Valerie. They were having their own date when Sam basically walked in on them. Jonah sighed and shrugged his shoulders as Valerie rested her head on his shoulder.

"And so you thought you'd come confide in me?" Jonah asked somewhat sarcastically. He chuckled and looked at Valerie, she seemed so comfortable that she was falling asleep. Hopefully she wouldn't start snoring. Sam gasped lightly and gripped Jonah's arm, tensing slightly.

"You don't think he's cheating on me, do you?" He chuckled at the thought and rolled his eyes, knowing Sam was just not really thinking about this. Freddie, of all people, would never cheat on her.

"Yeah, right, he's cheating on you and off with a new best friend he likes better than he does me." Sam looked at Jonah with bewilderment and Jonah gave a soft sigh. Valerie's brow furrowed and she slowly opened her eyes halfway.

"He probably just has more important plans," Valerie said quietly.

"More important than his girlfriend or his best friend?" Sam asked as she raised a confused eyebrow. Valerie chuckled and shrugged her shoulder, closing her eyes. Sam hadn't dated him long enough, he probably didn't confide in her yet. Hell, there were things that even Jonah didn't know. Valerie knew there was only one person in this world that Freddie thought more important than even his best friend.

"Try calling him." She knew he never turned his phone off unless he was with the person she thought he might be with. The only reason she knew was because she had been in similar shoes.

"We have, he never answered," Jonah said with a frown. "It went straight to voicemail."

"Are you guys _really _all that worried?" Sam and Jonah looked to Valerie and shrugged, they just wanted to know who or what was so important that he cancelled _all_ his plans. Even Carly was a bit upset that Freddie wasn't going to help her out any.

"I just want to know why my date's been cancelled without any kind of reason," Sam muttered while leaning back in her booth.

"You didn't ask him why?"

"I didn't think about it." Valerie gazed at Sam with surprise and slowly shook her head while Jonah chuckled to himself. "What? I just went along with it…"

"You are a very trusting person," Jonah said with a slight chuckle. Sam narrowed her eyes and stared at him, she didn't take kindly to the joke at her expense. She grabbed a chicken leg from Jonah's plate and tossed it at his head. "Hey!" He laughed and Valerie slowly picked the leg from his shoulder. She sighed and set it on her plate.

"No playing with your food, children," Valerie said as she sat straight up. She smiled and looked over as the waiter walked over to the table. "Hey, we'll take our check now."

"Okay miss, I'll go grab it," replied the waiter. He turned and walked off as Jonah looked at her, frowning.

"You don't have to end the date, you know," Jonah muttered. Valerie smiled kindly and kissed the corner of his lips.

"It's okay, I'm not ending it out of spite or anything. I just have something I want to do with you guys." Jonah slowly nodded, unsure, but trusting his girlfriend to do whatever she wanted. "You're paying, right Jonah?"

"Yeah, when in the last eight years have _you_ paid?" Valerie smirked as Jonah started fishing for his wallet. It wasn't always chivalry, she just often used the 'women's rule' that evidently someone made up.

"You're the man, you need to pay on the dinner dates."

"I know, I know…" Sam chuckled and watched the two, she loved seeing them together, they always seemed to have so much fun. The waiter returned with the check and Jonah handed him his debit card. The waiter then smiled as Jonah read the bill and handed it back to him, watching as he left to ring it up. "Twenty-five dollars, it's a new record."

"Nope, remember when we ate at red lobster?"

"Oh yeah…" The total bill on that had been a little over forty, they had a tendency to go on expensive dates. Soon the man came back with the receipt and the trio stood up.

"So where are we off to now, Val?"

"Trust me." The group went to their cars, Sam drove herself, obviously. She followed in her vehicle as Valerie drove Jonah's car, she thought it'd be better if she drove since she knew where she was going. "It's only Monday, so I believe it would be the park we want to go to…"

"The park, what is there?"

"You'll see." Jonah looked back at his back window to see Sam in her car, she had a very baffled expression on her face. Valerie smiled and turned onto Industrial, which was a very popular street. Sam dialed Jonah's phone and he answered. She asked where Valerie was going, so he put the phone on speaker for her. "There's only one person in this world more important than anyone, anything else, I believe I said that. It's the only bond a man has that will always be strong and connected, almost like how a woman is always connected to her mother. She can't stop loving her mom, no matter what, and if she didn't see the mother for years and years, when they finally saw each other again, they would almost instantly reconnect."

"So what are you saying?" Sam asked as she followed Valerie into River Legacy Park. They drove for a bit until finally parking in one of the parking lots.

"If I'm right, the should be here."

"If he's with a girl!"

"He's not going to be with a girl, Sam. I know you've had a lot of guys cheat you out of a lot of things…" She looked to Jonah, who was basically ignoring this part of the conversation. He'd moved on from those days, as everybody had basically forgiven and gotten past that. "Freddie's not that type of person, he's not going to hurt you. Just like I know Jonah won't ever hurt me, because he's changed. He and Freddie are probably the two most loyal men you can find." Jonah smiled at Valerie and Sam slowly closed her eyes.

"I know, but it's just…I don't know who he'd be with." The group exited their cars and turned off their phones. Valerie sighed and patted Sam on the shoulder.

"Come on…" They followed her onto a walking trail, which seemed to wind on forever. It was a very beautiful hiking trail, with trees naturally canvasing the pathways. She went onto an off-road path and started brushing the limbs out of her way. After a long ways of walking, they came out into a quiet area and hid in the trees. Freddie was by the lake, with an older man who had a neatly trimmed, grey beard and moustache. They were stunned.

"Who is that?"

"I'm surprised you don't know," Jonah said quietly. He recognized the man from some pictures Freddie had with him at all times. "That's his dad. He is a Chief Master Sargent in the Air Force."

"He never told me…"

"He doesn't tell many people, I don't know why." Valerie glanced over at the two and smiled, she had a mother who had often been overseas in battle. She returned from war one day for good, they had sent her home, she had caught shrapnel in her leg and was confined to a wheelchair.

"His dad is always overseas in battle," Valerie said with a quiet voice, still watching the two men. Jonah and Sam looked at her and listened to what she had to say, since it seemed she knew of this. "He never told me anything, but I could always tell. It's like my mom was, before she came home…He is able to come over for visits, but they're rare as hell."

"I see…" Jonah's eyes reveled in understanding as he turned his gaze back onto the aged man. "So Freddie doesn't always know when he's coming or something?"

"True, at least that's how it was with my mom. I was the same way, whenever she came home, I'd take a whole week off just to spend it with her."

"And he does the same for his dad…"

"His dad hasn't been back in two years. But even still…Jonah, you understand the bond between a man and his father, right?"

"Yeah, I do." He knew that if he hadn't seen his father in a long time, he would always take time off to see the man if he showed up. It was just an unspoken bond, something that would never be tarnished or destroyed. "All other bonds in this world are easily influenced, they can be destroyed, bended, changed…but a man and his father, that is a connection that always remains the same."

"I understand now," Sam said quietly. She watched as Freddie reeled in his fishing line. His dad reeled in his and the two took a look at the fish they caught, Freddie had the bigger fish. The two men laughed, evidently they were having a contest between who caught the biggest one. They unhooked their fish and threw them back in the water.

"We'll see who catches the biggest one this time, bet it'll be me, eh Son?" The father said with a wink. Freddie smirked and shook his head, it wasn't happening.

"Not a chance, pops."

"Tell me, how is your life going?"

"Good, I'm majoring in Criminal Justice."

"You going to be a cop like your old man?" He smiled with pride and nudged Freddie, who smiled back with the same amount of pride. He would always be proud of his father, for everything he'd ever done. He'd been overseas for ten years, he didn't have long before he came home, Freddie was sure of it.

"Well, I'm looking more into the forensics department, actually. I don't think I can be a police officer."

"Too dangerous for you?"

"No, I just prefer the forensic or crime scene investigation part of it, rather than the apprehending part."

"Understandable. Now, didn't you say you have a special girl somewhere?"

"Yeah, her name's Sam." Freddie grinned as their fishing lines caught something once more. They reeled them in and sighed, the fish got away, so they threw the lines back in the water.

"Surely you don't mean Miss Puckett?"

"The one and only, best girl in my life." Mr. Benson looked at his son and smiled softly, he could see Freddie was happy. What more could a father want for his child?

"Well I'm glad for you. And how is iCarly coming along? I don't get the chance to see it much…" He was always busy, he rarely got the opportunity to take a break long enough to use internet access. When he did get his breaks, he spent those writing letters and sending them out.

"Oh, that ended a while back. We all just kind of got tired of it, growing out of it. Carly's started up a webshow of her own, it's more of a blogging type deal. I help her out sometimes."

"That's good of you." The trio watching them could only smile, they could understand why Freddie never really talked about his father. With the constant fear that his dad may not come home, it just wasn't something he wanted to put on other people.

"I know whenever his father comes home, Mondays are the days they're at this park, fishing and walking on these trails," Valerie said as she took a step back. "As for the rest of the week, who knows…"

"I think we should go, before they realize we're here," Jonah said quietly. Sam nodded as they backed away from the trees. Sam closed her eyes and smiled happily, she couldn't believe she was really worried about Freddie like that.

"You guys see? He'll make up everything for everyone later, when his father has to return overseas. You'll notice the look his eyes then, and look carefully, you won't be able to miss the pride."

"Same look you always have with your mother, isn't it?" Valerie nodded as the three started walking down the hiking trail, leaving Freddie and his father behind. There was no reason to bother them, it might mess up their own peace. If Freddie ever wanted to tell them about his dad, he would, so they wouldn't bother him. Sam wiped away a tear and couldn't help but to think about her own mother. Sure, her mom wasn't a vet, but she was still her mom. She'd always been there for her, it really was just the two of them versus the entire world.

"I have to go," Sam said with a slight smile. Valerie nodded as Sam ran off, waving at them. She sighed happily and wrapped her arms around Jonah's arm, resting her head on his shoulder and walking.

"The view here is beautiful, isn't it?" She asked while inhaling the air. Jonah nodded and looked up into the sun. He wanted to go see his own dad. His father was always busy, but whenever he had a chance to spend with Jonah, Jonah was almost always dealing with other things. Maybe now would be a good time to make up for taking for granted his own father.

"I think maybe I'll ask my dad to hang out somewhere, maybe go bowling or something," Jonah said with a smile. Valerie closed her eyes and grinned cheerfully, she was proud of him.

Soon after the date was over, Valerie entered her home and found her mom sitting by the window. She smiled and looked up at her second oldest child. "How was your date, Valerie?" Viola asked, the lines by her lips creasing.

"It was great, mommy," Valerie said as she hugged her mother. Her eyes beaming with joy and love, she would always be there for her mother, no matter what. "Jonah and Sam were kind of worried when Freddie cancelled his plans with them so suddenly."

"I see….would you like to go for a walk?"

"Always." Valerie gripped the handlebars of her mother's wheelchair and wheeled her outside, closing the door behind her. They started moving slowly down the sidewalk, it was a beautiful and peaceful day.

"So why'd he cancel?"

"His dad's in town this week."

"Oh." Viola smiled and placed her hand on Valerie's hand, smiling as the sun beat on her face. She had been depressed at first, when she had to be confined to a wheelchair, but her daughters always managed to make her smile. Through the undying support given to her by her husband and children, she had managed to make it through.

"Where are the others, mommy?"

"Your sisters? Oh, you know them, they're all off doing their own thing." Viola laughed softly and Valerie slowly nodded her head. Vanessa was the eldest, she was off in grad school somewhere. Veronica was just two years younger than Valerie and attending a community college. "I think Veronica said she was at some student government meeting."

"You know her, always busy with those organizations."

"She's going to be something one day, I'm sure of it." Valerie smiled and nodded as they stopped to look at a squirrel running across the road. "You know, being in this chair has really taught me to slow down and enjoy the beauty around me."

"I'm glad."

"I don't know where I would be without you girls."

"Lost?" Viola laughed at the joke and closed her eyes.

"Most likely…I think Victoria said she's spending time with her friends over at the high school, and Vixen has a sleepover with her friend."

"Oh, well I'm glad I made it home so you wouldn't be so lonely."

"I wasn't lonely, I was enjoying the view." Valerie grinned and closed her eyes. She knew her dad worked all day, he'd been doing his best to make ends meet ever since Viola lost her ability to walk. He had to take extra hours and make the money come rolling in. Everyone appreciated his hard work and let him know it whenever they got the chance. "I hope that boyfriend of yours is doing well."

"He is, he said he was going to go grab his dad. He never spends enough time with him, I think seeing Freddie with his own dad kind of inspired him."

"Well that's good. I'm proud of him, and I'm proud of you. I don't think I ever let you girls know that enough."

"You do all the time, and we're the ones proud of you." Viola looked up at Valerie, to see her smiling back at her with the proudest expression on her face. She smiled back and rested her head on Valerie's hand.

At his house, Jonah entered to see his father watching some show on the television. He must have been taking a break from all of his work. He spent his time usually writing, working on the stocks, or doing some coding for the computer company he worked for. He worked from home, but had been considering just going to the company, since he never really got to spend any time with his son.

"Dad!" Jonah said quickly. Michael looked up and smiled slightly at his son, he wondered what it is Jonah wanted. Ever since Denise had died a few years ago, it seemed he and his son just lost track of each other. Jonah quickly turned off the television, much to his surprise, and grabbed his wrist. "Come on, I want to go somewhere with you."

"Why the hurry, son?" Michael asked as he stood up and let Jonah drag him out to his car. Jonah motioned him to the passenger side and entered the driver's side. He watched his son as Jonah started up the car and began driving down the road. "Where are we going?"

"I wanted to go bowling with you." Michael's eyes seemed to light up at those words, the words he never really heard from him. "I've been doing a lot of thinking, Dad…"

"Oh, you have?" Jonah nodded his head and kept his eyes on the road, he didn't want his father to have to see the sorry look on his face. Though, he was sure the man could easily see it. If he was anything like his dad and his dad like him, then he knew Michael could easily read him.

"We don't ever seem to spend enough time with each other." Michael's eyes started to water as Jonah drove onto the freeway, they were headed to the Showplace bowling lanes. "I think when that accident happened, everything just stopped…"

"I've been kicking myself ever since…" Michael frowned and looked onto the street. He never liked the freeway much, but it was always a necessary evil. He had missed his exit that fateful day, and at Denise's complaining, he took the next exit. She told him not to worry about it, but he didn't listen to her. When they started crossing the street after making it off the next exit, the light was green for them, but a drunk driver didn't stop. He hit them broad side, killing Denise almost instantly. "I should have listened to your mother that night."

"It's okay Dad, you shouldn't feel so guilty anymore. It was years ago…"

"I asked them to let me work at home, so I could be with you."

"I know, Dad." Jonah's eyes started to water and he quickly wiped them away, both men had their fair share of guilt over various matters, so perhaps this bonding would be the best thing for them. They needed to work through their issues together. "And I'm sorry, I'm sorry I was so distant."

"You had every right to be, Jonah."

"No. No I didn't. You're my father, and I didn't treat you like that. I was so angry at you after mom died, and it wasn't even your fault. Both of you were in a panic when it happened…you didn't want to be late for the school presentation…"

"I'm sorry…" Jonah had a presentation to give, he was in the eighth grade at the time. His parents were running late and were in a hurry. He remembered the memory, it was still vivid in his mind. He'd been called to the side halfway through the presentation, tears in his eyes because he couldn't see his parents, and that was when he learned of their accident. "We should have worked it out then."

"Would you let me be your father, then?" Jonah looked over at his dad and smiled, pride in his eyes. He did think his father was the hardest working man he'd ever met, and truly, he did want to be just like his dad one day.

"Something I've never told you, that I think I should have long ago. I've always been proud of you." Michael smiled slowly as Jonah exhaled softly. "I may not have said it, but I thought it. You always worked so hard, harder it seems after mom died. You did your best to take care of me and Olivia…she's turning out to be just like mom, you know."

"I know, she's going to be the most beautiful one at her high school graduation next week."

"I believe it. I don't think she and I would have done so well if it hadn't been for you. I know it was wrong of me to push you away so much when Mom died. Olivia was so young when it happened, that she barely remembers it now, but she always knew it was the reason…and she always told me I was wrong. I didn't see it until today."

"What happened?" Jonah smiled and looked ahead as he took the exit off of the freeway and started to pull into the bowling parking lot.

"Freddie's dad is in town, and Valerie took us to see them. It made me think a lot about how I was with you, and I'm so sorry I've been so short with you." Michael looked down at his feet, trying to hide the embarrassment he was feeling. He couldn't hide it though, just as he couldn't hide the joy he had.

"You're growing up to be a fine man, Jonah. I've always been proud of who you've become. I believe your mother is proud of you as well." Jonah smiled and parked his car. The two men exited the vehicle and met behind the car. "I'm not doing much this week, you know…"

"Maybe you and I can hang out, I know I haven't told you a lot about what's gone on with my life."

"That would be great, son."

"Oh and Dad?" Michael looked into Jonah's eyes and smiled as his son gave him a tearful hug. Tears started coming to his eyes as well. "I love you, Dad." Michael was overjoyed and he looked up into the sky, he was certain his wife was smiling down on them.

Sam hurried into her house and found Pam vacuuming the floor, she had a frown on her face and her scowl lines were clearly visible. She had spilled something on the floor and had to clean it up, she didn't want to admit that it was her favorite vase and she had fallen down. She hated aging. She looked over to see Sam in the corner of her eyes and sighed, half expecting the girl to hurry into her room.

"Mom, are you okay?" Sam asked as she walked over to her. She saw the tiny fragments of the vase on the floor. Pam obviously picked up the bigger pieces, otherwise she wouldn't be vacuuming. Sam took the vacuum and turned it off, much to Pam's surprise.

"Hi Sam, how was your day?" Pam asked sadly. Her eyes expressed a number of problems. She frowned and pushed her shaking hands into her pockets. She was only in her early fifties, why was she starting to have all these problems coming up?

"Good, but are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. How did the vase break?" Pam frowned and shrugged her shoulders as she walked to the couch. Neither of her daughters really seemed to worry about her, so why be so concerned? Who was she, anyway, just a retired doctor like Marissa.

"I fell down today…"

"Oh no, are you okay!" Sam sat down next to her mother and pulled her mom's hand from her pocket. Pam frowned as her daughter eyed it and closed her eyes. "You never told me you were getting shaky. You know both grandma and grandpa have Parkinson's."

"I didn't think you'd care."

"I _do_ care, mom." Sam smiled lightly and pulled her mother into a hug, she wanted her mom to know that she always would care about her. Pam smiled sadly and closed her eyes.

"You never paid much mind to me before."

"I know, and that was wrong of me. I want you to know that I do care about you, and I love you very much. You're my mother, you always will be, and I always want you to be a part of my life." Pam smiled happily and tightened her shaky hand around Sam's steady one. "I think you should call and set an appointment to see the doctor, he needs to know what's going on."

"I will. Do you mean all that, by the way?"

"Yes. You were always there for me, and I took that for granted, I won't anymore. I promise."

"I think I'm starting to get old, Sam…I hate aging."

"I know Mom, I know. Oh, and also…I made a call for you. You know I've always been proud of you, Mom. I'm not the only one, either." Pam raised her eyebrow and smiled as her phone began to ring. She raised her eyebrow and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi mom," Melanie's voice rang out over the phone. Pam's eyes widened and her lips formed a wide smile. "I've been thinking about you lately. Would you want to go have a bite to eat some time?"

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I hope you've enjoyed this oneshot, and maybe it touched you in some way. My dad's not in the air force, but he was long, long ago. He would have been in vietnam, but he unfortunately had to get glasses around that time. The park that Freddie and his dad is the name of the park I met my dad at. I hadn't spent any time alone with him in two years, so I was glad to have that time with him. There's a little bit of experience in there for ya from me. Same goes for Jonah and his father, my dad and I did somewhat grow apart. I'm sure you remember the story 'Better Off' which I don't like that story anymore...

Sam and her mom was the hardest for me to write, I hate writing their relationship anymore...only because it reminds me so much of my ex and her mother, this interaction especially. The whole 'sisters distant' thing, falling down, and Melanie...But I still enjoyed all the moments between the characters and their parents. I hope you've enjoyed it. Leave a review and let me know what you thought of the story, what you liked and everything. Please, I don't mind the 'good story' reviews, but they're so vague, and this story is so touching and meaningful to me, that I want to know what touched you, so if you do review, I don't mind if you just say 'good story' or not, but I hope you'll consider saying a little more. Thanks for reading this, and if you do review, I appreciate you taking the time to ^_^.

If anything, I hope you'll understand the meaning behind it, never take for granted what you have with your father, your mother, anyone, because you never know what could happen. They're always the ones that will be there for you, they're always the ones that will probably have that strongest bond. So, if you don't spend enough time with them, if you don't let them know how much you appreciate them...go out today, or tomorrow, whenever, and let them know just how much you _do_ appreciate them. Take the time to spend a moment with them, you would be surprised how much they will appreciate it.


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